Remember that empty lot I told you about a few months ago? The one I walk through to get from the 545 stop to my office? (Yes, I still walk through it; my fear of geese was quickly overcome by my need for convenience.) Geese aren’t the only animals that live there. The part of the lot that’s not paved is a sort of swampy wetland, with tall grass and a good half acre of deciduous trees, and it’s home to rabbits, frogs, and lots of (less intimidating) species of birds. During the wet times of year, the ditch at the edge of the trees becomes a small pond, and in the evenings, you can hear the frogs singing their hearts out–so loudly they can be heard above the traffic noise that surrounds them.

Recently, my employer bought this empty lot. (It was only a matter of time, really.) For a few weeks, it was fenced off and filled with construction workers and equipment (complicating many bus riders’ walks to work). The ditch/pond was dug up and covered with a layer of greenish sod.

I learned last week that the lot will be used for “overflow” parking. My coworkers have tired of waiting for the company-paid valets to find spaces for their cars in the crowded garages.

So much for the geese. And the frogs.